- Marjorie Taylor Greene reacted to movie star Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars.
- "I appreciate the Alpha male response of a husband defending his wife," she said.
- "Chris Rock handled it like a man with no whining," she added.
Hours after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on the Oscars stage, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene shared her thoughts on the shocking moment, saying that both sides handled the situation well.
"I never watch the Oscars but I've seen the Will Smith/Chris Rock clip a million times this morning," the Georgia Republican tweeted on Monday.
"I have to say I appreciate the Alpha male response of a husband defending his wife," she wrote. "It was settled and then no more drama. Chris Rock handled it like a man with no whining."
"It was much better than a Twitter fight with people saying tough things on their keyboard behind their screen," Greene wrote in follow-up tweet. "They handled the issue and then they actually carried on."
The viral moment began while Rock was presenting the award for best documentary feature and joked about Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith's wife.
"Jada I love you, 'G.I. Jane 2,' can't wait to see it," the comedian said, mocking Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head.
According to footage of their reaction, Will Smith initially laughed at the comment as Jada Pinkett Smith rolled her eyes. "That was a nice one!" Rock said.
Seconds later, Smith stormed stage and slapped Rock across the face.
"Oh, wow! Wow," Rock said. "Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me."
Smith, seated back in his chair next to his wife, then yelled: "Keep my wife's name out your fucking mouth!"
"Wow, dude. It was a G.I. Jane joke," Rock said.
"Keep my wife's name out your fucking mouth," Smith yelled again.
"I'm going to," Rock replied, before he carried on with presenting the award.
—CBS News (@CBSNews) March 28, 2022
Smith later won the best actor award for his performance in the movie "King Richard," a biographical drama about Richard Williams, the father of tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams. During his acceptance speech, Smith apologized to the Academy and the nominees, but did not mention Rock.
Jada Pinkett Smith has alopecia, a medical condition that causes hair loss. The actress has been vocal about her struggles with alopecia, posting about it on Instagram.
Greene on Monday joined a growing chorus of lawmakers on the right and the left who have also weighed in on the slap.
"I found Chris Rock's joke to be distasteful and disgusting," Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York tweeted. "But there is no justification for a violent assault on live TV. None."
"The obnoxious episode on the Oscars stage last night encapsulates the very mean-spiritedness and erosion of self-control that are spreading in our streets, our schools, and our society. Both are diseases for which we need a moral vaccination," Republican Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota tweeted.
In a now-deleted tweet, Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, who also has alopecia, thanked Smith.
"#Alopecia nation stand up! Thank you #WillSmith," she wrote. "Shout out to all the husbands who defend their wives living with alopecia in the face of daily ignorance & insults."
On Monday, in an apparent follow-up to the deleted tweet, Pressley wrote: "My life's work has always been about trauma & healing. I'm a survivor - I don't endorse violence in any form."